A Fair Fight
by clemonlime
Summary: Reid always smiled before they fought. Every time, without fail.


Reid always smiled before they fought. Every time, without fail. It didn't matter who initiated the fight, it didn't matter where they were, who was watching, what kind of fighting the next thirty minutes would entail, what clothes they were wearing, how terrible the day was, what words were swimming around his ears. His lips would turn up and his teeth would peek out and his eyebrows would raise as his eyes crinkled and he silently told Aaron _I forgive you for anything that happens_. Yet it still made him nervous.

Aaron was wearing his work clothes; tight suit and stern expression and flattened hair. Reid had shed his sweater vest, tie, shoes, and belt, looking much less professional and much more human. His hair was mussed up from his shedding of clothes over his head, and the way his eyes were looking at Aaron made the rest of the world seem completely irrelevant.

The fight started with yet another avoidable opportunity for Reid to misinterpret things. Slipping into an Uber he'd hailed by himself after Garcia and JJ had cornered him in the bullpen after he'd calmly mentioned that he never understood those things and voiced his questions about the difference between the city bus and a volunteer driving app. Aaron watches hesitantly through his office window as Reid slips into the back of a car and it disappears down the road.

The young doctor came home three hours (and several missed calls) later than he was expected, hanging up his coat with a frazzled look on his face but obviously glad to be home.

Aaron stood from his seat, trying to keep whatever unpalatable emotions inside his throat as he carefully and calmly asked him where the hell he'd been. Well, maybe not as calm as he intended.

"I think I was downtown for a while," Reid replied with a long, relieved sigh, slipping his arms inside his vest to pull it off, "I can't be sure."

"You got in an Uber three hours ago." Aaron's voice was grim in the way that he didn't intend to be, and Reid's relief was somewhat diluted.

"Yes," he loosened his tie, hanging it on the coat rack, before fully turning to make eye contact with Aaron, "He originally said he knew a shortcut, but apparently it wasn't as short as he thought."

"Huh."

Reid frowned, "Will you just explain to me what you're thinking so we can just do what we need to?"

The fight hadn't started yet. The smile hadn't happened, the sympathetic and forgiving smile. It was Reid, still standing in the doorway next to the coat rack, his arms hanging by his sides and a look of expectation.

"Were you picked up by an Uber." Aaron asked, but didn't all the same.

"Yes." Reid answered quickly, his head tilting before he realized, "You think I was with someone else?"

"Three hours in an Uber."

"Three hours in an Uber," Reid confirmed, slipping off his shoes and sitting them by the door, finally coming into his home.

"And you didn't..."

Reid smiled. It was that smile, the smile that said _I'm ready to fight now._

It would be a Silent Fight. The yelling, the violence, the throwing of vases, those came with near-death experiences, not with implied accusations of adultery. Aaron would pout and Reid would know how to work him in a way as to not let him become a recluse. A snarky comment or two would be deflected by Reid, and everything would be okay in a matter of hours.

"I don't believe you," said Aaron, his voice tight and the skin stretched on his skull even tighter. "You're only late when something is wrong, something you aren't telling me."

"The man that drove me didn't give me drugs, Aaron," Reid said quietly, his lips upturned as he stood half inside and half outside of his home, unsure of what headspace Aaron was in. He couldn't tell just by looking, he'd need more of a soundbite.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just trying to give you reasoning for my suspicion." The words were clinical but the way he said them was not. His tone was a sputtering rifle. It had been kept on the shelf for far too long and it seemed to have forgotten how to explode.

"Do I smell different?"

Aaron stared hard and long at him, "What?"

Reid crossed the room in three strides, looking to Aaron and holding his arms away from his body and stretching his neck out like a makeshift sacrifice. "Three hours would a long period to have sexual intercourse. Strenuous. Do you smell it on me?"

Aaron grimaced and turned his head away.

"You can perform the SAK test kit we have in the cabinet on me," the genius offered, "If you'd like."

"Actually," Aaron said. And that was all Reid needed.

He took the older man's hand, pushing down all subjective emotions about the lack of trust and instead knowing that he'd done no wrong and that no sexual assault kit could tell Aaron otherwise. He was silent, compliant, letting Aaron gently guide his legs open and tensely read the test booklet, performing every indicative test he had to do.

It didn't dawn on him that a guilty person wouldn't be so compliant and calm without any ticks, especially not smiling. He wasn't really looking for answers until the test came back inconclusive, if that was the case. Perhaps the few whiskeys while waiting for Reid to come home wasn't the smartest idea he'd had that day.

Aaron sent it in through one of his crime lab friends who owed him a favor. He didn't tell him what it was for. But because of the lack of backup in the lab, it would take the average time or even less to process it.

Reid sat on the couch, directly beside Aaron. He knew not to leave the man alone during fights because that was what Haley did. Haley left him to brew until morning, where she woke up and made breakfast and kissed him on the cheek and acted like things were normal. Aaron didn't need space. Reid made sure their thighs were touching, waiting for the inevitable short comment that could spark a new conversation that would end in the same way that every Silent Fight did; with a lot of holding.

"How long has it been?"

"An hour, thirty-six minutes," Reid replied with a smile. Careful, patient, kind, Reid smile that made Aaron's insides bubble up in a good way, but it didn't feel so good when he was doubting so heavily. He opened his mouth to say something somewhat short, but Reid placed a warm hand on his forearm and gave him a smile, "I know things are very uncomfortable because of your blood alcohol levels, but when we get the results, I want to talk about this. Whatever's going on in there."

Aaron gave a hesitant smile as Reid's index finger prodded in between his eyebrows.

The test came back and, as Reid expected and Aaron hoped, it was negative for any sexual activity or contact within the last 3 hours. Aaron just stared at the sheet of paper while Reid quietly waited, a warm smile on his face aimed toward his lap.

"I..."

"I imagine you'd like my best shot at a further explanation," Reid leaned into Aaron, turning his head to speak softly into his ear.

"The short cut wasn't short," Aaron murmured, embarrassed and red-faced.

"I found out halfway through the ride that perhaps it wasn't an accident," the genius chuckled, "however, I had no means in which to tell you this unfortunate news. As I didn't have my phone."

Aaron's cheeks grew impossibly redder as he fished the phone from his coat pocket. "I... forgot I had this."

"I realized that," Reid smiled and gently kissed Aaron's cheek. "I engaged in conversation with him as the long version of a shortcut was so obviously to get his quota of social interaction. I was prepared for this to happen when I got home. Didn't anticipate the whiskey or the SAK, but I welcome surprise."

"I'm sorry."

Reid shook his head fondly, resting his forehead on Aaron's warm neck as they sat, holding each other on the couch, "No need to be, my love. However, I do want to address the trust issue here."

"Spencer, I-"

"I'm not Haley," Reid sat up, turning Aaron's chin with his fingers to get his full attention, "The only trait we share is that at some point, we both fell madly in love with you. The main contrast there is that I'm loyal."

Aaron huffed and gathered Reid into a hug, pressing his cheek against the bony shoulder, "I love you."

"I love you too," Reid smiled widely, a normal Reid smile, and tugged at his hands. "I'm actually exhausted of talking."

"Me too," Aaron agreed and followed him into the bedroom for a fulfilling and comfortable nap.


End file.
